Method of and apparatus for sterilizing and sealing canned fruits, vegetables, or the like



CANNED FRUITS,

V B; R STERILIZING AND SEALING VEGETABLE June 30, 1925.

FENN

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS F0 s, OR THE LIKE Filed Sept. 24 1921 INVENTOR Patented June 30, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,544,384 PATIENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. FENN, OF PO'RT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MARGARET F.

FENN, OF PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING AND SEALING CANNED FRUITS,

VEGETABLES, OR THE LIKE.

Application filed September 24, 1921. Serial No. 503,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. FENN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port \Vashington, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Methods of and Apparatus for Sterilizing and Sealing Ianned Fruits, Vegetables, or the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a, new and improved method of and apparatus for sterilizing canned. fruits, vegetables and other goods.

The object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for sterilizing and canning fruits, vegetables and other goods, efliciently and economically.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the nature referred to wherein the sealing of the fruit, vegetables or other goods after being sterilized is accomplished automatically.

A further. object of theinvention is to' provide a method of and apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetablesand other goods, and utilizing the exhaust of the steam employed in effecting the sterilization of the goods to effect automatically the sealing of the sterilized goods within its can or container.

Other objects of the invention'will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative arrangement of parts and mode of operation, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawing and finally pointedout in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is-a view in vertical central section of a sterilizing apparatus illustrating a nethod of edecting the sterilization of fruits,

vegetables or other products contained within a can or container placed, within said chamber; 4

Fig. 2 is a view in plan of the inner face of the top for the can or container for the goods to be sterilized;

Fig.3 is an edge view of the same partly in diametrical section on the line 33, Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View in larger scale in section on the same plane as the 1 sectioned portion of Fig. 3.

rentaining the sterilized goods.

In my Patent No. 1,365,673, granted January 18, 1921, I have shown, described and claimed a process of sterilizing canned goods by subjecting a can and its contents to the action of steam under pressure before sealing the can, then sealing the can While contained under pressure or within the closed sterilizing chamber containing the sterilizing steam. And in said patent I have shown and described mechanical means operating within the sterilizing chamber to efi'ect the sealing of the can by fixing a'previously loosely applied cap upon the end of the can In my Patent No. 1,378,531, granted May 17, 1921, I have shown and described a process of sterilizing canned goods wherein an unsealcd can is placed withina sterilizing chamber in a. position other than its top side up position, and then admitting steam to the chamber to effect the sterilization, and then shifting the can to its top side up position, and finally completing'the sealing application of the top to the can., I

I have discovered, however, that manual operation and manipulation in effecting the sealing of the can after the sterilizing action is completed, may be avoided by utilizing steam pressure to effect the sealing of the can automatically. In one form of my invention I have found that the sealing of the can may be readily and easily effected automatically by or simultaneously with the exhaust sterilizing steam pressure from the sterilizing chamber, "thereby avoiding the necessity of manual appliances or other manipulation or handling of the can. This result is accomplished by providing the can containing the fruit, vegetables or other products to be sterilized with a top which is permanently applied to the can after belng filled with the' goods to be sterilized, and

before the filled can and its contents are subjected to the sterilizing action of the steam pressure, and which .cap is formed with an opening therethrough which opening is automaticallyclosed by the seating of the valve thereover, the seating of the valve being accomplished by or coincident with the exhaust of the sterilizing steam pressure from the sterilizing chamber, or the reduction of steam pressure in such chamber after the sterilizing action is completed.

' It is amongthe special purposes of my adapted for use the shape of,:-the exterior I portion-8 of the body of the cap.

10 may be appliedtothe cap iirinany.

ferent ways.

' shownwhereinthe peripheral edge 13 present invention to provide a method of and apparatus for attaining this result.

In the drawing reference numeral 5 des1g nates a can or container in which the fruit,

vegetables or other products to be sterilized are placed, and 6 is the topeor cover to be applied to the open end of said can. This top 'orcovcr is constructed at its peripheral edge in any suitable or convenient manner to be permanently applied to the open end of the can, the method of attachment of the cover and can not forming any part of my present invention. The body portion of the top or cover is preferably made flexible so as to be capable of yielding slightly in the direction of length of the can as, for in stance, by slightly buckling when pressure is applied to the surface of side body portion. This flexibility may be produced in many different ways. I have shown one simple arrangement for accomplishing the purpose by forming a portion of the body of the cover with annular outwardly pressed channels as indicated at 7. At its central portion the body of the top or cover is formed into anoutwardly pressed spherical or dome-like portion indicated at 8, through the centre of which is formed an opening 9. My invention is not to be limited, however, in respect to this particular form or structure of body portion of the cap, as it vious that caps of various forms and structures of body portions may be equally well in carrying out my invention. The important and essential feature is the provision of a top or can having an opening therethrough, and the body portion of which is sufficiently flexible to allow it to move or more or less buckle to some extent. The form shown, however, I have found to be efficient for the purpose. The opening 9 through the body of the cap, in accordance with my invention, is controlled by a suitable valve or closure. In the particular structure shown as an illustrative practical embodiment of my invention I employ a re1- ativelystiff disk member 10, having a central depression 11, formed in the outer surface thereof, and "which when the disk is applied-in position to the outer surface of the body of the cap extends into the opening 9 in the cap. The required or desired stiffness of the disk 10 may be secured in any convenient way as, for instance, by forming radial channels '12 therein. The central portion of the disk 10, in the specitic form shown, fits over. and conforms to surface of the dome I dif- 3A simple 1 arrangement I, s of the diskis formed into reverse curve wl,iic h may .be snapped beneath a co-operating cur'vedportio'nll, formed in the top.

is ob- This disk It will be understood that the disk 10 with with the fruit, vegetables or other products to be sterilized, the top wlth the disk applied thereto is permanently affixed or secured to the open end of the can. The can with its contents and with the top applied as describedi-s then placed within a sterilizing chamber 15, having valve controlled steam supply in exhaust connections 16, 17. By supplying the steam under the sterilizing chamber with the exhaust connections closed, the steam not only surrounds the can, thereby exteriorily heating the same and its contents, but the steam pressure entering between the disk 10 and the top 6 at the point between the engaging surfaces 13, 14, causes an inward flexing movement of the body of the top away from the adjacent surface of the disk thereby permitting steam pressure to enter the can through the opening 9 and penetrate through the body of the contents of the can, thereby thoroughly and efficiently sterilizing the contents thereof. This sterilizing action pressure to only requires a very few seconds, depending and its contents are then removed, and the operation is repeated upon another or other cans.

It is to be understood, of course, that according to usual canning practice, the contents of the can do not completely fill the can up against the inner-face of the top, the space 18 being left between the inner face of the top and the top surface of the contents of the can indicated by the dotted line 1 at 19 in Fig. 3. I

If. desired, and in order .to insure the maintenance of an efficient'seal, a composition which softens under the influence of heat or steam, but becomes hard and set when cold, may be placed in the opening 9, surrounding the valve 11, as indicated at 20, In like manner, if"des ired, the peripheral portion 'ofthe disk -l0 and the adjacent portion of the bodyflof the top may. be so shaped as to form an annular spaceor channel in which may be placed a similar courpositionindicated at 21in Figs. 3 and i. I

have found a rubber composition suitable for this purpose.-Said composition, soft ening under'theaction of thesteamand heat does not interfere With the passage of the steam therearound or therethrough, but upon cooling, after the sterilizing action is com pleted, this composition becomes set and hardened, thereby effectually insuring a sealing of the can. I

In practice, the can with its contents may be positioned in any suitable or desirable relation within the sterilizing chamber. I have found it convenient and satisfactory, however, to position the can within the chamber in inverted relation, resting the same upon the cap (3 as a base, as I have found that. the best results are attained when the can is in this position, or in any position other than its top side up.

It is to be understood that many variations and changes in details will readily occur to persons skilled in the art and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I do not desire, therefore, to be limited or restricted in respect to the speci lie details shown and described.

But having now set forth the objects and nature of my invention and the manner of carrying the same into practical operation, What I claim as new and useful and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetables and other products, a container, a top therefor, said top having an opening therethrough for admission of the sterilizing medium to the interior of the container, and means rendered elfective by the sterilizing medium for closing and sealing said.

opening without removal of the container from its sterilizing position.

2. In an apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetables and other products, a container, a top therefor, said top having anopening therethrough for admission of the sterilizing medium to the interior of the container, and means rendered operative by the sterilizing medium to close said openin 3. In an apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetables and other products, a container, a top therefor, said top having an opening therethrough for admission of the steriliz ing medium to the interior of the container, and means carried by said top and rendered operative by said sterilizing medium to close said opening.

4. In an apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetables and other products, acontainer, a top therefor, said top having an opening therethrough for admission of the sterilizing medium tothe interior of the container,

a diskapplied to said top and having a valve portion to control said opening.

5. In an apparatus f-or sterilizing fruits,-

vegetables and other products, a container, at top therefor, said top having an opening therethrough for admission of the ster1liz ing medium to the interior of the container, said top being flexible, and a relatively stifi' member applied to said top and having a. portion adapted to close said opening.

(5. In an apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetables and other products, a container, a top therefor, said top having an opening thercthrough for admission of the steriliz-,

ing medium to the interior of the container, a member applied to said top and having a portion arranged to close and seal said opening, and a sealing composition .interposed between said top and member.

7. In an apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetables and other products, a container, a top therefor, said top having an opening therethrough for admission of the sterilizing medium to the interior of thecontainer, a member with a disk applied to said top and having means to close said opening, said member and disk having interengaging portions to retain the said member in place.

8. In an apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetables and other products, a container, a top therefor, said top being flexible and having a central opening therethrough, a disk of relatively still material formed at its peripheral edge to engage and be re-, tained by said top, said disk having a central portion to form a sealing closure for said openin 9. In an apparatus for sterilizing fruits, vegetables and other products, a container, a top therefor, said top being flexible and having a central opening therethrough, a disk of relatively stiff material formed at its. peripheral edge to engage and be retained by said top, said disk having a central portion to form a sealing closure for said opening, and. a sealing composition interposed between said disk and top.

10. The method of canning, sterilizing and sealing fruits, vegetables, and other products in containers, which comprises subjecting an open container and its contents to the action of steam under pressure, causing said steam to sterilize the contents of said container, causing a reduction of pressure and utilizing said reduction in pressure to effect the sealing of the container.

11-. The method of canning, sterilizing and sealing fruits, vegetables and other products in sealed containers which comprises subjeeting a filled container having an open valve to the action of steam under pressure, permitting said steam to penetrate the interior of the can, and permitting reduction of pressure, and utilizing said reduction of pressure for closing and sealing said containers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 12th day of September,

WILLIAM B. FENN. 

